Drought Encourages No-Mow Native Gardens

Cheryl Lovato Niles holds a Master’s Degree in environmental science from UC Berkeley. She is currently a full-time mom, occasional freelance writer and Backyard Habitat Mentor.

The unusually mild and dry winter we just about raced through this year means that Washington state, so famed for its dark forests, clear salmon streams, moist and mossy natural beauty, may be facing the worst drought in 25 years.

As we are reminded on every misty, drippy, Pacific Northwest morning (or afternoon, or evening), the well being of our natural environment depends on water, and lots of it. When drought strikes, people and wildlife find themselves competing for a suddenly scarce resource. For our endangered salmon, this is the ultimate high stakes competition and if they lose, we all lose.

When Gov. Gregoire declared a statewide drought emergency in March, she called on citizens to reduce their water use. But how do we do that? Where are we spending our household water budget now and how can we become wiser about our water for the future? It turns out that the way we manage our private environment, our own backyards, could have a huge impact on the health and welfare of our regional environment. According to the Washington Dept. of Ecology, landscape watering and toilets account for the lion’s share of water consumption for the average household. In the summertime, nearly 40 percent of city water is used for landscape irrigation and during peak summer days as much as 3,000 gallons per day per home can be spritzed, sprinkled and poured on our yards.

What are we doing with all that outside water? Well, lots of us are lugging the hose around to water big ol’ thristy lawns which then show us their gratitude by growing too tall for our taste. And so back out we go, this time pushing the mower. Around here, lawncare becomes something of a summertime Samsara: water, grow, mow, water, grow, mow.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Washington Native Plant Society and our own Bellingham Parks and Recreation Backyard Habitat Mentors Program tell us there is a better way. We can use less water, do less work and have a whole lot more fun watching wildlife from the quiet comfort of a deck chair in a low-mow or no-mow landscape. By shrinking that thirsty lawn (or, heck, doing away with it altogether) and planting more native trees, shrubs and flowering plants in our yards, we can invite butterflies, birds and other wildlife to even the smallest garden plot.

Wildlife likes variety. They like trees and shrubs, big plants and little plants, open areas and cover. And our native wildlife creatures love their dear old friends—our native plants. Because flora and fauna have co-evolved over millenia, our native plants have tremendous habitat value for many different species of animals, insects and fungi in many different stages of life. It’s a tough act for any European (or Asian, or African) newcomer plant to follow.

As far as wildlife is concerned, those lush lawns we all labor over are one great, green desert.

But what about water for native plants? Surely all those plants will needs lots and lots of watering, right? Nope. Our native plants have not only evolved to nicely suit our local wildlife, they’ve also evolved to survive in this place, with its own unique weather patterns and without an adjustable arm, four-in-one sprinkler system. Once established, our native plants need less watering than our lawns, less water even than lots of our typical nonnative garden plants. As an added extra bonus, they also usually thrive with little or no fertilizers or pesticides or general messing around from you.

For those self-sacrificing souls who decide to embrace environmental stewardship by giving up countless hours of watering, mowing, fertilizing and applying pesticides, there are rewards beyond the beauty of our native plants: watching songbirds rear their young and butterflies dance from flower to flower, perhaps even listening to frogs sing on summer nights. Backyard wildlife habitat is about celebrating what’s unique in this region and it can go a long way toward protecting what we cherish in the natural world around us.

Now is the time to learn and plan. Fall is the time to plant natives. And here we discover another little secret of the native plant gardener. Ideally, the native plants go into the ground in the fall, get established over the winter and then, when summer comes, they do what they do best—look great and virtually take care of themselves. In the first summers of their youth though, even our independently minded natives can use some pampering in the form of water. Meanwhile, the savvy wildlife gardener enjoys the warm weather relaxing and listening to sounds of songbirds more and the buzz of the lawnmower less.

To find out more about backyard habitat and native plants contact the great resources above. Whatcom County residents take note: For no charge at all, our own Backyard Habitat Mentor program will send a trained mentor to your yard, armed with knowledge, a resource-box chock full of literature and enthusiasm for native plants and wildlife. (See contact information above.)

In the meantime, while you’re planning and preparing for your personal wildlife sanctuary, consider conserving water by leaving your sprinkler in the shed and going for the gold this summer. Let your lawn go into a graceful, golden dormancy and save the water for the salmon. For those who aren’t quite ready to cut the cord… er, hose, check out the sidebar on the facing page for important tips on conserving water for every gardener and every household. §